Woods accustomed to being the hunted

Posted: Wednesday, April 05, 2000

The Associated Press

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) - If anyone in the Masters is intimidated by Tiger Woods, take heart. There was a time when even Woods, the No. 1-ranked player in the world, found himself in awe of another player and wondered whether he was good enough to win.

"I was 11 years old," he said Tuesday.

Woods said he was paired with a 12-year-old in a junior tournament when they came to a 290-yard par-4. The big kid drove the green, and tiny Tiger took a gulp.

"I was taken back by that and felt there was no way I could compete," he said.

He wound up beating him that day, and came away with a valuable lesson.

"There's no point being intimidated on the golf course," Woods said. "I know what I can accomplish. I know what I can do on the golf course. I know the shots I can pull off, and I've got to believe I can do it."

Woods has made a believer out of just about everyone lately.

He arrived at Augusta National as a heavy favorite to win his second green jacket in four years, and for good reason.

Woods has won 10 times since the last Masters. No one else has won more than twice, while David Duval, Ernie Els and Davis Love III have combined to win nothing.

Who else since 1945 has won six straight PGA Tour events? And the most daunting performance of all is that Woods has finished first or second in 10 out of his 11 events.

Perhaps that's why Woods didn't even blink when someone asked him how it affected his preparation for the Masters knowing he was the guy everyone was watching.

"People are talking about that every week I play," he said. "That hasn't changed. You become the center of attention when you're playing well."

One thing that has changed is the course.

It is not the same Augusta National on which Woods romped in 1997 in becoming the youngest Masters champion (21) with the lowest score (270) for the largest margin of victory (12 strokes), among the 20 records he owns.

They moved a couple of tee boxes back 25 yards and for the first time grew rough, which looks more like peach fuzz compared to the U.S. Open but is still enough of a nuisance to raise the scoring.

This year, the rough has encroached on what used to be the most generous fairways in golf, which changes the shape of drives on some holes.

"You can't go out there and take driving for granted like you used to around here," Woods said. "You have different angles. It's going to be quite a challenge."

That was never more evident than late Tuesday afternoon, when six-time Masters champion Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman, playing in his 20th Masters, stood on the 11th tee and tried to figure out where to hit their drives.

Showing them the way was 19-year-old Aaron Baddeley, the Australian amateur who has been coming to Augusta for, oh, about a week now.

"The changes might not look important from the outside, but when you're playing the course, it's quite different," said defending champion Jose Maria Olazabal.

Not everyone favors the new look. Among the harshest critics is Phil Mickelson, who is coming off a playoff victory against Gary Nicklaus in Atlanta.

"I don't think it's the place of anybody who can't break 90 to be changing the golf course from those original designs," he said.

The change that might have the biggest impact is what Woods has done with his swing since he last won the Masters.

While he won four times that year, Woods also shot himself out of contention with double and triple bogeys. He spent the next 18 months rebuilding his swing so he could control the trajectory and the distance on his short irons.

Every week, he seems to introduce a new shot, whether it's a knockdown 3-wood to keep it low into the wind or a soft 9-iron from 100 yards to reduce the spin on hard greens. Augusta requires its own brand of shot-making, which Woods has been working on since January.

Why so soon?

"I've been targeting this," he said. "My game has been better week by week. I'm excited bout some of the shots I'm hitting now and the control I have. I've been working hard to get to this point."

While Woods figures to be the prime attraction, the Masters is not his tournament to lose. Woods has not been in serious contention since winning in '97, and Hal Sutton's one-stroke victory over him in The Players Championship last week sent a powerful message.

Respect Tiger, but don't revere him.

"People think any event he plays in is Tiger's event to win," Duval said. "Not too long ago, that was the case with me. I think this is my event to win or lose."

Strong words from a player who hasn't won in 53 weeks.

Duval and a number of other players - Sutton, Mickelson, Darren Clarke - have made it clear that they will pay more attention to their own game and the changing nature of Augusta than what Woods is doing.

Likewise, Woods will take that lesson learned 13 years ago and apply it this week.